Wawa & The Wawa Foundation Announce Crisis Campaign to Assist in Hurricane Irma Disaster Relief Effort

WAWA, Pa., Sept. 12, 2017 -- Wawa, Inc. and The Wawa Foundation Inc. today announced the launch of a chain-wide, in-store crisis campaign, designed to provide disaster relief assistance to those communities most affected by Hurricane Irma. The campaign is being held in partnership with the American Red Cross and allows customers to help contribute to Hurricane Irma disaster relief by adding $1, $3, or $5 to their Wawa purchase at checkout.

The campaign will run from Sept. 12 through Sept. 22 in all of Wawa’s over 760 stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. All donations made through The Wawa Foundation’s campaign will be donated to the Red Cross and will be designated specifically for Hurricane Irma disaster relief efforts. These funds will be used to help the Red Cross provide immediate and vital support to those communities suffering from the effects of Hurricane Irma.

“All of us at Wawa join the entire country in our support and hope that we can all weather these storms together. We believe we have a responsibility to provide assistance and aid to those in need especially within the communities we serve.  Wawa has always had a strong commitment to providing crisis response and assisting those in need, and we’ve been partnering with the American Red Cross in these kinds of efforts for decades,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s CEO.

In addition to customer donations, The Wawa Foundation will be making its own $250,000 donation to the campaign.

About Wawa, Inc.

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. In 2015, Wawa was named “America’s Most Beloved Convenience Store” by a Market Force study of 7,000 consumers, and in 2016 and 2017 Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers, a survey-based ranking of employers offering the best associate experiences and strongest opportunities. A chain of more than 760 convenience retail stores (550 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.

About The Wawa Foundation

The Wawa Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities, and ultimately to help build stronger communities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, state and national grants and / or in-store fundraising, such as, donation boxes and point-of-purchase scan materials.

CONTACT: 
Wawa, Inc.
[email protected]